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We've spoken of the Rolex President many times before. We have seen them worn by Presidents and dictators, produced in Spanish and Italian, but never have we seen one bearing the arms of a country most of us have never even heard of.

The country we speak of is Oman, or rather the Sultanate of Oman. This Arab country is located in the Persian gulf (comfortably situated between the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and everyone's favorite terrorist hotbed, Yemen), it has a negligible supply of water, has the 139th largest population in the world, has a GDP roughly equivalent to the 2008 profits of Exxon Mobil, and has a leader who rose to power by overthrowing his own father.

So are we surprised that someone from Oman's government (described as an "Islamic Absolute Monarchy") would go to the lengths to put their national emblem on a Rolex President? Not at all. If there is one item in this world that is internationally recognized as liquid currency, it is a Rolex. Gold Rolex Presidents are the business cards of world leaders, especially in the Middle East. They are gifted as often and certainly make a dramatic impact.

The Rolex President we have here is in 18k yellow gold, comes on a brown leather strap (with matching gold buckle), and is a more modern quick-set model. The price isn't given, and without knowing its actual age, how original it is, and the real provenance behind it (we're guessing there could be a really good one here), it's hard to venture a guess. Either way, this is a really interesting watch with a really interesting face, coming from a really interesting nation.

A fine mechanical watch is perhaps the most gentlemanly item a person can own. However, not all watches fit the bill as something that would be worn by a true gentleman, a man with excellent tastes and polish. Just the other day we featured a vintage Rolex President with the day written in Italian. This is certainly the watch of a playboy, but perhaps not a true gentleman.

The watch we have found for you today would be worn by the father of the person who wears the President in Italian. It is a fine Jaeger-LeCoultre triple-date moonphase watch from 1985, sort of. While the watch was produced and released to the public in 1985, it is actually made from NOS (new old stock) components dating back to the 1940s. Essentially, everything in this watch was made in the 1940s but was never assembled. Instead, the pieces were kept by Jaeger-LeCoultre at their headquarters and pieced together in the mid-1980s as a very special edition reissue of a classic Jaeger moonphase.

The watch is in yellow gold on a crocodile strap. It measures a period-correct 36mm without the crown and is in mint, original condition. As with the Rolex, this particular watch features apertures that are in a foreign language. In this case, the language happens to be French and this does not only include the day of the week but the month as well.

To make this watch even more attractive is that it comes with its original boxes and papers. According to the seller, there were only a few hundred of these re-hashed 1940s moonphases produced in the mid 80s and to find one in this condition with original everything is really quite rare.

The Omega Seamaster, as we've mentioned before, often plays second fiddle in two categories that it has been a part of for more than 50 years. The first category is that of an Omega mainstay. The Speedmaster, with its legendary cosmic experiences and athletic good looks, is usually the watch of choice when someone wants an Omega. The second category is that of the divers watch, as the Rolex Submariner has dominated that area since its inception. Part of the reason the Rolex has been consistently chosen above the Seamaster is that the Seamaster was produced in so many different variations that some of its identity was lost, despite what was written on the face. Many of these Seamasters don't even look like divers watches.

1968 Cosmic Without Cyclops WindowToday we are talking about Omega Seamaster Cosmics. The Cosmic was produced in the late 1960s into the 1970s and was quite popular. The original thought behind adding the word "Cosmic" to the face was two-fold. The first was meant to capitalize upon the brand's recent affiliation with NASA and space exploration. The second was an homage to another Omega that bore the Cosmic name 25 year earlier (although it was a moon-phase and looked nothing like these Cosmics).

The first Seamaster Cosmic that we have found is a very classic, late 60s stainless steel watch. Its case is cushion-shaped and the markers have onyx inlays, both adding the look of this watch. What is most unique about this particular Omega is that it DOES NOT feature a Cyclops date-window. The Cyclops window, which was and is one of Rolex's defining charactertistics, is essentially a magnifying glass over the date window. Most of the late 60s Cosmics do feature Rolex-like Cyclops windows over the date (see?), and Cosmic 2000 In Germanthis one does not, making it relatively rare in that set.

The second Seamaster Cosmic we have found is the later Cosmic 2000. This particular watch is again a very simple, classic looking watch. This one features no cyclops window but it does feature a day of the week function, and the days happen to be written in German. Perhaps the most interesting feature of this watch, we have always loved foreign market pieces and we've feature a few recently.

So there you have it, yet another version of the Omega Seamaster for the records. These particular watches are selling for very reasonable prices. The 1968 cushion-shaped version is being offered for $795 here. The later Cosmic 2000 with German days is being offered for $595 here. While we like the shape and design of the first Cosmic better, this could be a great chance to pick up a vintage (and automatic) Omega from a foreign market with the days written in another language. All of the other foreign market watches we have featured have been in the multiple thousand dollar range.

So you are or have always wanted to be part of the international jet set, trapsing from city to city, promenading down the most fashionable parts of town and attending the wildest parties. But what watch do you wear? If you're doing it right, you're wearing something vintage. If you are doing it really right, you are wearing something like the watch we have found for you today.

For the boulevardiers among us, style is heavily based upon understated, timeless design and international flair. The watch we have found for you today epitomizes this. This is a very vintage, very classic, and very cool Rolex President from the 1950s with the day written in Italian.

The President is perhaps the most recognized watch on the planet, but most people don't understand just how expensive the President is. A new Rolex President will cost you around $20,000 for a yellow gold version, more for a white gold or platinum version. For this reason, along with the fact that Rolex basically rules the roost for celebrity watches, the President is still worn by countless young and affluent jet-setters.

One complain with the President is that it is large and a little ostentatious (especially in yellow gold), but the one we have found today is over 50 years old. In the last 50 years, watch sizes have really grown, so this vintage President will actually appear quite small on a man's wrist. Couple the small size with a leather strap (as opposed to the traditional yellow gold jubilee bracelet), and you have one understated Rolex.

The best part of this watch though is the day window. The days of the week are written in Italian, and that is just plain smooth. We recently showed you another President with the day written in Spanish, but we've seen those before. We have never seen a President in Italian, and we absolutely love it.

Appropriately, this watch is being sold by a charismatic Parisian dealer who says "It will inspire crazy scenarios for worldly dinners. It is a chicissimo watch!". We have to agree. This watch is one of the coolest we've featured and whether you really do live la dolce vita or you just hope to one day, this would make a great addition to your collection. Actually, even if you don't have a collection and have just been looking for one amazing watch that will serve you in any situation, we have to say this is the one to buy.

As our editors mentioned recently, we really love foreign market watches. Our favorite examples feature a day window in a foreign language. We found one recently in the form of a Rolex President, but what if you can't afford to spend over $10,000 on a watch right now?

Enter this classic Breitling. This unusual Breitling features a day window and the days happen to be written in Spanish. The watch is rather small (33mm) and is gold filled on a leather strap. It features a manual movement with sweep seconds, and a date window in addition to the day of the week. We don't know too much about this watch and we have never seen this model before, but we do like the looks and we love the Spanish day.

As we also said in our Trends to Watch in Watches list, we think unusual Breitlings are poised for a big surge this year, and this one is pretty unusual.

This vintage Breitling in Spanish is retailing for $1950, which without knowing too much about this piece, we think seems to be in the ball park, if not perhaps a tad on the high side. Why do we think it's a little high? Well, one of the most sought after, most timeless, and all around coolest Breitlings ever made (the Navitimer) sold at auction recently for roughly the same price in Antiquorum's most recent auction. Which would you rather have for the money?

The Rolex President (aka Day-Date) is the end-game for many people. It is the flagship model from what many people believe to be the ultimate watch manufacturer. It is a favorite among CEOs, Athletes, Celebrities, and even US presidents. We have always held the President in high regard but because it most commonly available in yellow gold, it has been put on our "some day" list.

There is one variation of the Rolex President that we have always been attracted to above all others...those that originate from Spanish markets. Why? Simple reason, we love having the day of the week displayed in Spanish. We just think that is a really cool little variation on a classic watch, and we have found just that, a Rolex President with the days displayed in Spanish.

Circa 1994, this watch is in 18K yellow gold and also features a very unique riveted bracelet, the Oyster bracelet, as opposed to the President / Jubilee bracelet that is most commonly associated with this watch. So this watch is one of the most legendary watches ever made, features a riveted bracelet, and has the unique characteristic of having the days of the week displayed in Spanish.

This is really a great watch and if were in the market for a President, this is surely one we would consider. No price is given but the market for Presidents is always strong, so we would estimate a price of around $12,000 for this watch.

So the watch itself is interesting, but something else about this listing really caught our eye. It was the description written in French and (very) loosely translated into English on the seller's website. See below:

The interesting aspect of this watch is the RIVETED bracelet in gold! A Daydate is usually on a President bracelet, so for a look less depraved or like an X-rated film producer, or someone obsessed with the explosion of gold prices, this watch will offer a totally different appeal. Convince your friends that there is a latent faker that's been hiding in you now ready to come out. Milk the cow before the morose American economy spoils our beautiful garden!

Now that is the way to sell watches, call anyone who wears one of the most popular watches in the world depraved, or better yet, an X-rated film producer. Also, you have to love the obligatory French distaste for all things American. So hurry up and buy this very expensive watch now before we spoil their beautiful garden!

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Friday March 3, 2012

HODINKEE is one of the most widely read wristwatch publications in the world. Launched in 2008 by then 25-year-old Benjamin Clymer, the site quickly gained notoriety for earnest looks at some of the industry’s most interesting, and occasionally forgotten timepieces.